Report: Great Lakes only region to gain wetlands

January 5, 2014
by John Flesher

(AP)—A federal report says the Great Lakes region was the only area that gained wetland acreage during a five-year nationwide survey. The study ended in 2009.

Experts took measurements with satellites and field photography. They found that the eight-state region gained 13,610 acres, while ocean coastal areas lost more than 360,000 acres.

Scientists say the Great Lakes' gains resulted partly from lower water levels, which enabled wetlands to form along the shores. But they also credit programs that spent millions of dollars restoring wetlands that were drained or filled for farming, housing and other development.

One example is Erie Marsh near Monroe, where fish passages are being improved and nearby croplands are being converted to wetlands.

After being drained by the millions of acres to make way for agriculture, wetlands are staging a small comeback these days on farms. Some farmers restore or construct wetlands alongside their fields to trap nitrogen and phosphorus ...

Baylor University, in collaboration with the U.S Forest Service (USFS) Rocky Mountain Research Station, has developed a model that predicts the risk of wetland habitat loss based on local wetland features and characteristics ...

Phragmites australis, an invasive species of plant called common reed, grows rapidly into dense stands of tall plants that pose an extreme threat to Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Early treatment is the key to controlling ...

Getting enough to eat is a basic human need – but at what cost to the environment? Research published in BioMed Central's journal Agriculture & Food Security demonstrates that as their crops on higher ground fail due to ...

Drained wetlands in Sweden account for the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as Swedish industry. This is shown by a summary of research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and the Swedish University of Agricultural ...

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